Naomi W. Smith

Lavern was named FordHarrison's first Talent and Recruiting Partner in 2018. In this new role, Lavern is responsible for recruiting and developing lawyers firm-wide. She will oversee the hiring and on-boarding of new lawyers, manage utilization and workflow, and design and implement talent development initiatives to support the career growth of our lawyers. Lavern concentrates her practice on defending employers in discrimination, harassment, wage and hour, whistle-blower, retaliation, employ...

Kamal Ghali is a former federal prosecutor and an award-winning trial lawyer who has been recognized for his commercial litigation, intellectual property litigation, white collar defense, and cybersecurity litigation work. Mr. Ghali regularly litigates high-stakes and mission critical matters that require courtroom excellence. He has particular experience litigating fraud, racketeering (RICO), intellectual property, contract, and fiduciary duty claims. He has first-chaired numerous jury trial...

Chris Dillon is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Atlanta office and a member of the firm's Financial Services Team, as well as co-lead of the Asset-Based Lending Team. He is a highly experienced financial services attorney who represents lenders and borrowers in a wide variety of domestic and international commercial finance transactions. Mr. Dillon has negotiated and documented numerous secured and unsecured credit facilities, including syndicated and single bank loans, asset-based loan...

For more than 20 years, Dawnmarie Matlock has advised health care clients on complex regulatory issues, including Stark Law and anti-kickback compliance. She also counsels clients facing government investigations and other enforcement actions to mitigate risks and help resolve active matters. She serves as Alston & Bird’s HIPAA privacy officer and counsels clients on HIPAA compliance and breach response. Dawnmarie is a partner in the Health Care Group and is the firm’s HIPAA P...

Michaela Mericle is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Michaela, who practices law in Atlanta, Georgia, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michaela is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Maren Cave is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Insurance and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. Maren, who practices law in Atlanta, Georgia, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Maren is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Teri A. Simmons is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Immigration Law. Teri A., who practices law in Atlanta, Georgia, has been recognized since 2009. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Teri A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Wyatt Kendall focuses his practice on brownfield redevelopment and urban renewal projects and routinely advises local and national industrial, multi-family, mixed-use, and retail clients on the acquisition, development, disposition, management, and financing of properties with significant environmental issues and properties within urban and industrial areas across the country. He also represents corporate and lending clients on environmental issues in the context of a host of corporate transa...

David M. Atkinson is a founding partner of Marsh Atkinson & Brantley. He has been a trial lawyer since 1991, focusing on civil litigation defense, including tort claims, products liability, insurance coverage, bad faith, construction litigation, business disputes and intellectual property. He has served as lead trial counsel in federal and state courts throughout Georgia and the Southeast, as well as appellate counsel before the Supreme Court of Georgia, Court of Appeals of Georgia and Un...

Lash Harrison has more than 50 years of experience representing management in all aspects of employment and labor law. During those 50 years he has represented employers in almost every state and in a variety of industries. Throughout his career, Lash has served in leadership roles in a number of professional and civic organizations. He was a member of the Emory University's Board of Visitors from 1999 to 2002 and a member of the Board's Executive Committee in 2001-2002. Currently, Lash is a ...